Fatal Fantasy
by Rhino7
Summary: ON HOLD Takes place five years after KH2. Everyone Sora knew is now dead or infected. Three years after the outbreak, when his wildest dreams are realized, his worst nightmares are also confirmed. There are too many familiar faces among the monsters.
1. Three Years Gone

**Fatal Fantasy**

**By Rhino7**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, its characters or storyline. This storyline is mine. This is my own Kingdom Hearts version of **_**I am Legend**_**. It is not a direct copy of the movie; I was just inspired by the movie to write this. I don't own**_** I am Legend**_** either. For those of you who've read my fic **_**Summer of Snow**_**, this fic takes place four years after those events and five years after the end of Kingdom Hearts II. For those of you who haven't, it's not required to read **_**Summer**_** before this, just a little tidbit of information. Anyway, that's all my rambling for now. Kind reviews are always appreciated!**

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**Chapter One: Three Years Gone**

Silence. The lack of sound. The stilling of all movement and the slipping into total quiet. In the beginning there was silence, and silence will return in the end. Silence was crucial. Silence was agonizing. Silence was survival. Silence was golden…That's what all those old geezers always said.

It was completely silent now. Sora hated that. He'd never been comfortable with quiet. If he was ever somewhere that was quiet, he'd always make some sort of commotion to get the sound going again, to bring the life back to the situation.

He couldn't break this silence. There was no life to bring back. That was the whole point of the silence, wasn't it?

Sora rolled his neck, kicking those thoughts out of his head. Now was not the time to get philosophical. He'd never been good with that either. Silence and philosophy, not his cups of tea.

A tremor of movement bristled through the underbrush to his right.

Sora's fingers flexed and relaxed unceasingly around the knife at his belt. Here was something he was good at. Something he could do with relative ease.

The movement in the bushes persisted and Sora remained perfectly still. The sun was nestled high in the sky above, signaling midday. There were about eight hours of good sunlight left. Sora scanned the foliage around him, trying to find the source of the noise again.

It was hot. It was always hot on Destiny Islands, but today was exceptionally hot. It was humid too. That meant sweating brought no relief from the heat. He was sweating anyway, and it was stinging his eyes as it trickled down his face, drenching his clothes. Crouching in the thick dirt and leaves while waiting for a trap to spring hadn't helped matters of appearance either. Not that there was really any reason to keep up appearances anymore.

Something suddenly burst out of the bushes, tearing across the underbrush. Sora leaned sideways. In one motion, he unlatched the knife from his belt, flung it open, and slung it across the clearing. There was a squeal of pain and Sora knew he'd hit his mark.

Breaking his motionless stance, Sora strode over the dirt to where his prey lay, snorting and writhing on the ground. It was a warthog. The knife's blade had dug itself deep into the animal's shoulder, rendering one of its forelegs useless. It was rolling around on the ground, trying to stand and flee its predator. Three years ago Sora would have felt bad for it and been horrified by the agony the animal was being put through.

Now, however, he saw it only as an animal. He reached down and gripped his knife, tearing it free from the warthog's flesh before immediately slicing the blade across the animal's throat, silencing it.

And we're back to the silence.

Sora wiped the knife off on his pant leg, sliding it back into his belt. The smell of blood was strong and stagnant around this part of the jungle. Sora wiped his forearm across his forehead in an attempt to clear the sweat. He only managed to smear it around, seeing as his arm was just as slick as his face.

There was no relief from this heat. Even the dim light escaping through the clouds did nothing to quell the sweltering air around him. Clouds?

Sora's head jerked up so fast his neck cracked. The sun was gone, completely masked by the thick, gray clouds hovering in the overcast sky. Darkness was never good. Never, ever, ever. He scanned the trees around him, straining his ears and hoping the smell of fresh blood didn't attract anything.

He tied the warthog's forelegs together and its backlegs together, stuffing the neck wound with leaves to stem the bleeding. That was the last thing he needed on a cloudy day: to be wandering around covered in fresh blood. He might as well have just jumped in a vat of barbecue sauce and spitted himself on a fire. Okay, maybe that was a little exaggerated…but it was still not good.

Keeping a wary eye on the trees, Sora rolled the warthog onto its back and maneuvered it up over his shoulders. The fur was hot and gave off a rancid odor, but Sora just crinkled his nose and straightened, pointing home…well…as much of a home as he had anymore.

He hadn't taken three strides when another sound punctured the silence of the jungle. Sora's foot froze an inch above the leave-strewn ground, a fresh round of sweat beading his neck at the same time a shudder passed through his body. Not now, not now, it's the middle of the day, it's impossible, not now, not now, he prayed silently, turning his head towards the noise.

The rustling grew closer and his pulse spiked. It had been almost a week since his last sighting of them. He was overdue for panic and terror. That didn't help steady his breathing any.

The clouds shifted overhead, allowing a column of sunlight to cascade through the dense canopies, pooling in a jagged five meter area to Sora's left. He quickly side stepped into the sunlight, the sudden prickling heat on his bare skin like a mother's kiss. His mind flitted to the loaded rifle he'd left propped by the door. Sure, he had no idea how to use it, but it felt like a lot of a better weapon than the little dagger at his hip did. Especially against—

A little ball of fur tumbled out of the rustling bushes. Sora went rigid, but immediately shrugged as his muscles loosened in irritation. It was just a little black badger. It sniffed around at the ground, pawing at a few crunchy leaves and looking over at Sora with disinterest.

Sora clucked his tongue, feeling stupid. Now you're imagining things. Three years just surviving like this has finally kicked you over the edge, Sora berated himself. Sighing, he turned and started through the jungle, back the way he'd come, back home.

The leaves didn't hold very well and soon blood was leaking out of his fresh prey, staining through his shoulder and dribbling down his back. It didn't bother him as much as he knew it should have. At least the sun was out now. Blazing overhead, increasing the temperature and taking every opportunity to scorch Sora.

Sora took advantage of trekking through a little brook, clomping the water noisily with his thighs, forcing the water to slap against his legs and torso. The water was cool and offered some, however slim, relief from the heat.

He had to make a point to learn how to handle that rifle. He'd seen the guns used by Leon and a variation of one by Xigbar of Organization XIII. It didn't look all that difficult, but if he screwed up and shot himself in the foot or worse. It wasn't like he had a lot of people around to help him out. All he had was Even, and he was no help when it came to bloody messes…like a shot up foot.

Sora shook his head. The heat was messing with him. Wonderful.

The jungle finally opened up into a large clearing. It was an expanse easily covering a thousand square meters. The pond that fed the brook lay calmly nestled between a cropping of boulders. The clear, crystalline surface was calling out to him, and he resisted, promising himself to take a swim in it later.

He stepped out from under the cover of the trees, offering himself entirely to the merciless sun bearing down overhead. The clouds seemed to have surrendered, shying away from the heat-emanating ball of light in the sky.

Midday? Why do you always decide to go hunting at the hottest part of the day? Sora scolded himself, crossing the clearing and blinking sweat repeatedly from his eyes.

The house was almost perfectly placed on the foundation of boulders cropped around the pond. It was a little rural cottage, with two levels, three if you counted the basement. The fading yellow vinyl siding stood distinct against the otherwise dark jungle foliage. It was Even's house, technically, but there was no sense in Sora staying at his own house, not anymore.

As squeamish as Even was around blood, Sora decided it wasn't a good idea to lug the pig carcass inside the house to the basement, so he started around the back towards the basement entrance.

He spotted the little door behind the veil of moss on the other side of the boulder cropping and picked up his pace. Now that he was close to home, the slab of meat on his back was really starting to feel heavy.

Upon reaching the door, Sora leaned his right shoulder against the boulders, propping the pig against it so his right arm was free to open the door. This done, he re-adjusted his grip on the animal and shuffled into the shadowed interior of the construct, knocking the door closed behind him with his knee.

"Sora?" Even called down the hall.

"No, it's Luke Skywalker. Who else would I be?" Sora grunted in response.

"Someone's in a bad mood."

Sora could hear the smile in Even's voice and grimaced, "I come bearing meat. It was a little…messier than I was expecting, so I'll take it straight to the treating room."

"You do that."

Sora trudged into the first left in the dimly lit hallway. They'd converted Even's old study room into a meat treating room, mostly Sora's job. For a guy who claimed to be a top scientist, he certainly turned green around blood.

After depositing the bleeding mass on the treating table, Sora wiped his forearm over his eyes again. Something hot and sticky clung to his hair and Sora made a disgusted noise. He turned to the tall glass cabinet against the right wall.

There was no function for mirrors in this house besides for peeking around corners and confusing prey with their own reflection. Not that that had ever really worked. Back when Sora had had an innocent sense of humor, he'd thought confusing with mirrors was funny. But that was three years ago, before the outbreak.

Sora squinted, trying to catch his reflection now. It was vague through the glass, but he could see well enough that he'd just swathed warthog blood all over his forehead. He frowned. It had been a while since he'd taken a decent look at himself.

His large, bright blue eyes were darker now, older, set in a perpetual apathetic expression. His skin was much tanner now, thanks to the repeated overexposure to the sunlight. His hair was still spiky, beyond his control, but not so much at the moment. Sweat and blood had matted most of hair down at this point. He'd left the awkward teenaged years and wasn't as much of a bean pole nowadays. His shoulders were broader, connecting to smoothly muscled arms and calloused hands, the veins of which were more pronounced now.

Spending so much time either running or crouching had given him long, lanky legs, with muscles coiled like rope around his calves. No more skinny, no more baby fat. He'd aged ten years mentally in the three years his body had aged and grown. His mouth didn't hold the default crooked smile. He'd lost that after the outbreak too. Now, his lips just made a straight, flat line under his nose.

Sora started to wipe the blood from his face, but stopped. He was already covered in blood, sweat, mud, and who knew what else. Coughing slightly, his gaze flitted to his reflection's scar, three jagged trails ran from under his left ear down his neck and to his collar. The discolored scars were spaced far apart enough to belong to fingers.

Slowly, in a different world in his head, Sora lifted his right hand and placed his index, middle, and ring fingers on the top of the three scars. He let his fingertips play down the skin, grimacing. It may have been three years ago, the wound was completely healed, but its receiving still pained him.

Sora bit his lip, fighting the memories he'd suppressed for three years. It was over now. It had happened. It was all over now. The sooner he accepted that, the better. He dropped his hand.

"Damn it." He hissed.

His voice echoed in the silence of the cellar.


	2. The Fate of Us

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, its characters or storyline. I don't own I Am Legend, I was merely inspired by it. This story is mine. Kind reviews are always appreciated!**

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**Chapter Two: The Fate of Us**

After skinning and cleaning the warthog carcass, Sora left the treatment room and headed to his own section of the house Even shared with him to shower. It took the better part of an hour to wash off all the blood, mud, sweat, and other filth. He used the rest of the hour to just cool off.

He finally trooped back towards the lab where Even was, filth-free and in cleaner clothes. The lab was located in the lowermost part of the house and accounted for half of the basement itself. Even was hunched over his computer with his back to Sora when Sora strode in. He looked up as Sora approached.

"Still crabby?" Even asked.

Sora offered a rueful half-smirk. It still struck him dumb sometimes when he looked at Even. The man had just popped onto Destiny Islands not long after Sora and Riku had defeated Xemnas, with no knowledge of the four years before that. One could see just by looking at him that Vexen had been his Nobody. They looked freakishly similar, but there were definite differences. Even wore his long, dirty blond hair back in a low ponytail, and he wore narrow spectacles for reading lab charts.

"I'm not crabby. It's just hot." Sora said, folding his arms across his chest and leaning against the file cabinets. "What's the latest?"

Even handed Sora the chart he had been looking at. "I tried the latest formula on thirty rabbits, all of which were confirmed to be infected."

Sora glanced over the squiggles and science gibberish on the chart, "And?"

Even sighed, "The formula killed ten outright, another fifteen remained unchanged, and it actually worsened the symptoms in three cases."

Sora did the math, "And the final two?"

Even rubbed the bridge of his nose, "The final two showed signs of lessening symptoms. Lowered body temperature, regulation of UV light sensitivity, diluted aggression, normal respiration, and more constricted pupils than those with the virus."

Sora handed the charts back, "So…stage two of testing then?"

Even winced, looking almost apologetic, "Yes."

Sora offered a thin grin, "C'mon, Even. We've done this eight times already. I haven't died yet…permanently anyway."

Even rolled his eyes, "That's not funny, Sora."

Sora snickered, striding over to where the testing rabbits were kept. Ten of the cages were empty. Eighteen of the cages were rattling violently. The creatures inside, the infected rabbits, were thrashing against the cage, fighting to get to Sora. Hairless, pale things, they repeatedly smashed their heads, claws, and teeth against the cages, breathing excessively and snarling.

That was the fate of the infected. Sora sighed, looking down at the crook of his elbow. He could almost see the pockmarks from the repeated shots he'd taken to further the cause of finding the cure. Thus far, none of his sacrifice had paid off. Not even made a difference. Obviously.

"All right. Let's get this over with so I can kill you and bring you back to life." Even muttered without humor.

Sora sauntered over to the medical table where monitors and resuscitation equipment were stationed at the ready. While Even checked the equipment and readied the syringe with a look of slight distaste, Sora hopped up on the table and started strapping himself in.

Even had designed eight formulas, eight potential cures for the seemingly incurable virus, this one now being the ninth. Even wanted to test his antidotes against real patients, who truly had the virus and would give truer results. Unfortunately, neither he nor Sora could get within a hundred meters of their former fellows without getting mauled or maimed or killed.

Sora and Even were immune. Even could find no DNA evidence to support why they were immune. The virus simply wasn't interested in them. After an incident, they discovered that when Sora contracted the virus, he suffered a grand total of an hour before his body voided the effects. That usually gave them an hour for Even to test his trial antidotes, using Sora as a lab rat. So far, he'd been tested on eight times. Eight times he'd flatlined and Even had been forced to resuscitate him. Sora knew that put a lot of strain on Even's conscience, but it had to be done.

Sora pulled his shirt off and laid back, tensing slightly as the cold metal of the table contacted his bare back. "All right. Hook me up." He said with mock enthusiasm.

Even was still mumbling to himself as he placed the electrode monitors on Sora's forehead, shoulders, chest, and arms. He checked the restraints that locked Sora's wrists and ankles to the table, making sure they were secure.

"I feel kinda like the Hulk, all strapped in like this." Sora attempted to lighten the mood.

Even wouldn't buy it. He tested the syringe, "You know the drill. Try not to flatline this time."

Sora smirked, "I always try."

He closed his eyes, feeling the overhead light hitting his eyelids. He calmed his breathing and braced himself. All the time he knew there was no bracing himself for this. He felt a little poke in the crook of his elbow as Even slid the needle containing the virus into Sora's veins.

It would take only a minute or so to start feeling the effects of the virus, and Sora settled his shoulders against the table. Even withdrew the needle and Sora listened to him moving around the lab, keeping his eyes closed.

He tried not to focus on the slow burning sensation spreading up his arm. The virus had entered his bloodstream and was being pumped through his veins to the rest of his body. That was the worst part, the wait. It would start slow, creeping up his arm, through his chest, and all across the rest of his body. As soon as the virus had effectively permeated him, Even would administer the prospective antidote.

Sora didn't like thinking about what happened after that, so he instead let his mind shift to how hot it had been today. He bet he'd sweat off five pounds just walking around out there, not to even get into carrying that carcass back. The thing had been bleeding all the way, so he would probably have to get out there and clear off the bloody tracks so that they didn't lead directly to him and Even. Maybe the sun had boiled the blood away. That sure would make things easier.

A stab of annoyance and irritation flared up Sora's spine and he gritted his teeth.

Even must have noticed. "Easy." He offered nonchalantly, a few steps away.

Sora's temper flashed up again. What did that idiot know? He wasn't the one being used as a lab rat. Even had no idea what Sora had been through. He hadn't seen his friends lose their minds as they became infected. He had never been up close to the infected.

Sora felt the urge to free himself from the straps and attack Even for being so casual about this business. He knew the straps were thick and there was no freeing himself, Sora still wanted to thrash around and destroy something. The surge of aggression was strong and made his pulse pound. He started breathing heavily, his lungs not seeming able to satisfy his body's thirst for oxygen.

The reasonable part of his mind knew this was the virus setting in. The part of his mind being affected by the virus didn't care. He just wanted to attack something. Did Even have to shine that light down on him like that? Wasn't it bad enough he was lying there, strapped down, unable to breathe properly, that he had to try to burn his skin off with that damned light?

A strangled groan escaped Sora's lips at his inability to move his limbs.

"All right." Even soothed.

He kept speaking, but his voice was muffled by the pounding of Sora's pulse between his ears. This was a mistake. He shouldn't have done this. This was finally the test that was going to kill him. Maybe that was a good thing. He hadn't made any progress in the last three years to help his friends and family who'd fallen to the virus. He had been no help at all. What a fitting way for the immune to die, by injecting himself for the sake of science and for finding a cure.

Cold fingers were touching his elbow. Sora recoiled involuntarily, then tried to lash out at the touch. Who was that? Why were they touching him? Why were they so cold? Why was he strapped to this horrid table? Where was he? He couldn't remember.

The fingers tightened around his arm, holding him still at the same time a tiny prick of pain poked at the crook of his elbow. Was that a needle? What was he being injected with? By whom? How—

From the point where the needle had punctured, it felt like someone had touched a match to the gasoline running through his veins. Fire licked through the insides of his arm, setting his bones aflame. It rushed thirstily up his arm, around his shoulder, and started attacking his chest.

Sora threw his head back as far as he could, connecting it solidly to the table under him, and screamed. The pain hit his chest like a battering ram, knocking what little air he had from his lungs. He arched his back and gripped the edges of the table with his hands as tight as he could.

Heat rushed across his skin, like the fire in his blood was trying to escape through his pores. His eyes flew open and the light above was blinding. Daggers of light stabbed his eyes and he jerked his head to the side, clenching his eyes closed, screaming in agony.

Then the pain reached his core and the cold fingers of death wearing the gloves of unconsciousness swept over him, silencing his cries and ripping all the heat from his body in one fell swoop. Sora felt the life leave his body.

A moment passed. Perhaps an eternity passed. It was hard to gauge time when you were dead, but suddenly life was being forced back into his body.

A new pain hammered into his chest, sending a brief pulse through his system. His heart wasn't interested in beating again, so it ignored the artificial pulse. But the force came again, harder now, and Sora felt his body jerk in response. His throat felt full of cotton and his thoughts were muddled.

"Come on. Come on, come on, breathe, you idiot." Someone was hissing above him.

Was that Even? Was he dead too? Another force pumped against his chest and this time his heart responded. It felt like he was being hit by lightning. Life flooded back through him as his body remembered how to function.

He had to breathe.

He jerked, gagging for air. He couldn't move for the straps around his wrists and ankles. Then someone was clawing at the straps, releasing his limbs and rolling him onto his side on the table.

"That's it. Easy. Easy." Even's voice was close.

Sora breathed in short, shallow pulls, lying in a weak, sore heap while Even checked his pulse and ran some other vital tests as was routine. Through the foggy mess of his mind, Sora clawed his way to the surface.

"W-Well?" He coughed out, his throat suddenly dry and sore.

Even wordlessly helped him sit up and handed him a glass of water as soon as his hands stopped shaking.

"Well—obviously THAT formula didn't work either." Even finally muttered; all the blood had drained from his face and a shadowed expression had clouded his eyes.

Sora swallowed the water slowly, letting it soften the raw nerves of his throat. Upon hearing Even's words, he dropped his head, that familiar wave of disappointment crashing over him now as well.

"So, nothing? Not even a repression?" Sora croaked out hoarsely.

"I just killed you again for no reason." Even muttered.

Sora sighed, rolling his neck and flexing all of his muscles to make sure everything was working properly. That was it then. Another failure. More sacrifice and effort for null.

That was the fate of the immune.


	3. Reminiscences

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, its characters or storyline. This story is mine. Kind reviews are always appreciated!**

**..:--X--:..**

**Chapter Three: Reminiscences**

Sora spent the last three hours of sunlight backtracking his path through the jungle, spilling gallons of acid over the bloody patches where he'd carried the pig. The acid burned through the blood, voiding any possible trail that might have led back to the house. After making sure no tracks were left behind, Sora hiked back to the house. This took half an hour longer than normal, since Sora's body was still recovering from his latest near-death experience.

The soreness wasn't as severe as the last time, and it didn't last near as long either. It was weird, to consider that maybe his body was becoming accustomed to having his heart stop for periods of time. He was almost back to full speed by the time he made it back into the house. By then, the sun was dipping behind the distant trees, sending up orange and hot red rays of light, like a warning that dusk was quickly bringing the nightfall.

Even was still tinkering around in the lab when Sora stomped it, kicking off his muddy shoes. He made his way through all the rooms in the house, pulling the shutters closed in all the windows and locking all the doors. He wasn't really paying attention to what he was doing. After repeating this process so many times, his body just took over and did the chore itself. Soon all the windows were closed, shuttered, and bolted, and the doors were closed and locked.

Before the outbreak, Sora had enjoyed the night. When the sky was completely cloudless and uncountable stars winked down at him. It was serene and calming. Now, if you were able to see the stars, you had better get yourself inside and locked up. Even now, just a few hours after night had fallen, Sora could already hear the stirrings outside. They were out there, all right. That wasn't the scariest part.

"How are you feeling?" Even asked when Sora clomped down the stairs to the basement.

Sora shrugged, striding over to where the rabbits were locked in their cages. "Like I was just brought back from the dead." His eyes flitted unwillingly to the empty cages, where the infected rabbits had been killed by Even's prospective antidote, "Maybe I'm still there."

Even grunted, holding a vial up to the light to examine the substance inside.

"What about you? Any luck?" Sora asked.

Even had his eyes narrowed as he set the vial down, "With the antidote or watching you die again?" His tone wasn't humoring.

Sora exhaled and rubbed his neck, "Listen, it's my burden to bear—"

"Do you know what happens every time you flat line like that?" Even interrupted.

Sora knew better than to answer that question.

Even continued. "You have a seizure. Your eyes roll back until it's only white and all of your joints lock up. All the color drains from your skin and you make this horrid snarling noise as you stop breathing. Then you go limp and your heart stops. It may be your burden to have these medications tested on you, but it's my burden to bring you back to life when it fails."

Sora let his gaze drop to the floor. He had thought about that, of course, and he hated putting that strain on Even, but Sora couldn't just refuse to let Even test on him. Who else was he going to test his antidotes on? The true-blue infected weren't much for entertaining that thought. The silence rang loud in the lab for several minutes.

"There's a strange code sequence in a strain of paopu fruit that I've encountered." Even broke the questionable silence, as though he hadn't spoken earlier. "It might hold some key factors as to why nothing has worked and it may lead to finding a new antivirus."

"Paopu trees only grow on the smaller island off the coast." Sora informed. "I can bring some in tomorrow. I have to go over there and reset some traps anyway."

Even nodded and went on with his work without saying any more.

Sora didn't sleep much that night. It had nothing to do with the scratching on the walls or the inhuman noises coming from outside, or even the running, scurrying sounds of strange bodies moving around outside. What kept him from sleeping were Even's words. Sora had often wondered what it was like to die. Oh, he'd experienced it, sure, and every time Even had had to use the defibrillator to drag him back from that light. But what was it like to watch someone die? That was a morbid thought.

He didn't WANT to see someone die, but he couldn't imagine what it was like for Even, to not only watch Sora flat line, but to know that he had caused it. Sora shuddered in his bed and rolled onto his side, sliding his arm under the pillow for more support. Now he had bigger problems to worry about.

It had been two years since he'd gone to the smaller island off the coast. He'd only gone there three times after the outbreak. Once to set up a long distance radio signal. Then twice to set traps. He never ventured much deeper than the first few yards of the jungle. He mostly stuck to the shoreline. It was hard to look around, remembering all those years of going there with his friends to hang out and goof around. No more, never again, he thought dryly.

He'd have to suck it up and go back tomorrow though. The smaller island was the only place to find the star-shaped, yellow paopu fruit. He'd probably check the radio tower again too, while he was there. With that thought, Sora exhaled heavily and managed to fall into a restless sleep.

Sora and Even were lucky to get six hours of sleep a night. They usually stayed up late to make sure all the bolts and locks were secure, and they got up early to take advantage of every minute of daylight they could spend outside. Well, Sora did anyway. Even was a bit of a hermit who liked to stay indoors. Sora had never been an indoor person. He loved being outside too much.

The next morning, Sora threw two canteens of water, his hunting knives, a small pouch of first aid supplies, and a small handgun with two clips into a backpack, slinging it over his shoulder as he left the house. He'd leave the chore of pulling open the shutters and unlocking the windows up to Even, he was the one enjoying the house all day anyway.

The air was already thick and hot as Sora trekked through the jungle to the beach. It was still early, so the sun wasn't high enough to scorch, but Sora could tell it was going to be another hot day. Scanning the trees around him out of habit, Sora stepped out of the shade and out onto the long, sloping shoreline. Water was lapping lazily against the sun bleached sand. The shoreline was vacant of course, and the small pier was abandoned save for his little rowboat.

Not taking time to enjoy his surroundings, Sora crossed over to the pier and climbed into his boat, untying it from the pier and pushing away into the open water. He didn't want to focus too much on what he'd see or find on the smaller island he'd played on as a child, but like all things we want to avoid, it lodged itself in his brain and plastered itself over every inch of his concentration.

It used to take an hour to paddle across from the main island to the smaller one. Sora would take his time, talking and joking around with his best friends, Riku and Kairi, as they had wandered their way over. Those days were long gone, Sora knew that for sure. Riku was infected and therefore running around like the other uncivilized prey to the virus. Even though Kairi had escaped on one of the evacuation boats, she was probably infected by now too. You couldn't outrun something like that.

It was too early in the morning to be thinking so depressing like that. Sora sighed, rowing with long strokes towards the smaller island. It only took him a little over half an hour now to cross the little bridge of sea separating the two islands. He ran aground, climbing out and dragging the little boat through the shallows until it rested on the beach sand.

Sora pulled his backpack over one shoulder and walked up the shore, scanning the trees out of habit. There were no seagulls squawking around on the coconut trees. There were no animals of any kind to be seen. They were all lurking in the shadows, out of the sunlight like everything else. The foliage remained unchanged though. The trees kept growing and the grass stood tall, not bothered at all by the lack of wildlife surrounding them.

Sora drew a deep breath and let his gaze wander away from the trees. The plywood pier was half sunk into the shallows, bobbing with the recurring waves. There were no boats tied to it, adding to its derelict appearance. The little speck of land just yards out of the shallows was Riku's island. That was where the main paopu tree was, its trunk twisted sideways so that it was almost parallel to the ocean. The little makeshift bridge connecting Riku's island to the smaller island was gone, torn down or fallen apart. Sora counted at least four paopu fruit dangling under the canopy in his line of sight.

It was a relief to see the fruit there. All he had to do was swim over, pluck the fruit from the tree, and then he could high tail it out of there. He still had to check those traps. What was the real point in that though? There were no real animals left on this island. And he wanted to check the radio tower.

It wasn't even really a radio tower. It was more of a glorified TV antennae. Sora had rigged up a radio broadcast with Even's help and managed to station it from the hut that was built into the rocks by the waterfall. Glancing over, Sora saw the antennae jutting up out of the hill like a blatant anachronism waiting to be called out.

The sun was climbing quickly, and taking the temperature level with it. Sora set his backpack down and pulled off his boots and T-shirt, tossing them down in the sand. His bare shoulders tingled with the sudden direct warmth from the sunlight and he waded out into the water. Once the water had reached his stomach, he kicked out into the water and swam the rest of the way to Riku's island, letting the salty ocean water cool his skin. Once he'd reached the island, he sized up the ladder. It looked sturdy enough, but Sora climbed it very carefully until he pulled himself over onto the land.

Shaking water from his hair, Sora pulled his shorts up again. The water had made them heavy and dragged them low around his hips. Not that there was any danger of mooning anybody around here. Crime of habit. Sora walked over to the paopu tree and climbed out on the trunk. It took all of two minutes to reach and pluck five of the fruit, throwing them from the tree to where his backpack and clothes were.

This done, Sora stepped off the island and back into the water. It had been so long since he'd gone swimming. Maybe he could spare a few minutes to try and enjoy this rare pleasure. So for a while, Sora bobbed around in the shallows, unable to help but to remember the last time he'd gone swimming off this shore. He, Riku, and Kairi had been hatching a plan to build a raft and sail out to adventurous seas, find other worlds and all that. The day before their maiden voyage, the Heartless had come. That day, he'd been put in charge of gathering up fish. Three fish.

Sora tread water until his arms started to get sore. Then he stood up in the shallows and trudged back up to the beach. He didn't feel like pulling his shirt back on yet, deciding to let the sun dry his skin before he did that. He packed up the fruit and pulled his boots on. All he had left to do now was check the radio transmission station and he could be on his merry way.

He cringed as he turned towards the hut. It had to be done or Even would bother him about it until he came back and checked again.

Hiking his shorts back up again, Sora pulled out a few knives and slid them in at his belt, walking slowly and begrudgingly towards the hut. He snapped up a splintered plank from the plywood ramp on his left and approached the hut's ajar door cautiously. The infected were known to lurk anywhere that provided shadow. It was stupid to just stroll in some building and assume no one was home.

Sora pressed his side against the wall of the hut and nudged the door farther open with the plank of wood. Hearing nothing inside, Sora pushed the door open the rest of the way and twisted to peer inside. It was empty; the stairs winding up to the second level were vacant.

Relaxing slightly, Sora javelin tossed the plank of wood onto the stairwell, to scare off any loitering animals. He started to take a step forward, but froze, his foot hovering an inch above the threshold. He'd just heard movement on the second level. Sora fell still and listened. Straining his ears, he could gauge that it was an animal and not the wind.

It sounded like a two legged creature, breathing heavily upstairs.


	4. The Echo of Laughter

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, its characters or storyline. This story is mine. Kind reviews are always appreciated!**

**..:--X--:..**

**Chapter Four: The Echo of Laughter**

"_I don't believe you."_

"_What is there not to believe? It was only a matter of time before modern medicine found a cure for Polio." Riku pointed out._

_Sora shook his head, "No, no, I believe that. I'm not that stupid. Shut up." He snapped before Riku could make a smart comment. "What I don't believe is how they're administering it. Isn't that like a privacy violation or something?"_

_Kairi laughed, "How can protecting your health be a privacy violation?"_

"_Yeah, you could be breathing it right now." Riku chuckled._

_Sora clamped his mouth shut and held his breath._

_Kairi looked at him sideways, "Sora, it's a good thing."_

"_Nah, let's see how long he can hold his breath." Riku said._

_Sora lasted about a minute before coughing and inhaling sharply, "Ah, fine. I just don't like the idea of people pumping this stuff into the air."_

"_It's the fastest and most effective way to reach everyone." Kairi stated, "Right at this very moment, everyone on Destiny Islands is breathing in the cure for Polio. No needles, no shots, no pain, and no side effects."_

_Sora still didn't like it. "Well at least with a shot, you know exactly what's going on and when."_

_Riku narrowed his eyes, "Well not everyone can afford shots."_

_Sora bit his tongue and Kairi sat forward, "That's not a problem anymore, though. Clara can just sit on the front porch and breathe it in like everybody else."_

_Riku's grandmother, Clara, had suffered from Polio for a few years now. She didn't have the money to afford regular treatments, and she refused any financial aid from the rest of Riku's family. This latest medical breakthrough was especially helping Riku's family._

_Riku's hard stare softened at Kairi's words, "Yeah." He murmured._

_Kairi nodded, "Just think, in a matter of weeks that whole disease will be a thing of the past! Things are going to be much better from now on."_

**..:--X--:..**

Kairi's laughter bubbled through Sora's head, as clear and crystalline as if she was standing beside him. But she wasn't. Sora hadn't heard Kairi's laughter or her voice in three years. He had no idea why he was remembering it now. Here he was, standing in the door frame of the wooden hut, listening to something moving around upstairs, and he was remembering Kairi's laugh.

Shaking his head slightly, Sora reached back and pulled out a hunting knife, holding it ready near his collar as he stepped into the shadow of the hut. The creature upstairs wasn't making the normal sounds he'd come to associate with infected humans. It was a burrowing, scratching noise, like little claws trying to escape a dirt mound.

He crept slowly up the stairs and paused at the top corner. Slowing his breathing to offset the pounding of his heart, Sora picked up the plank of wood he'd tossed and threw it onto the floor of the second level of the hut. There was a quick scurrying as the creature was startled, and then silence. Sora exhaled in a loud pant. An infected creature, whether human or not, would have attacked that plank in an instant, seeing it as a threat and thus triggering aggression.

Sora relaxed and peeked around the corner. A big black badger was nestled in the corner, scratching at a hole in the wall. Sora frowned in relief and went back down to the first floor. All that took space inside the small room were two writing desks propped together. On top of them housed a long rectangular box machine, with a few buttons and levers and two slowly rotating wheels.

Even had recorded the message just after the outbreak and had instructed Sora how to set up the contraption. It had been playing and repeating the same message, the same words, for over a thousand days. No one had ever replied. They had never even received a hint that there was anyone else immune or alive besides themselves and the infected. Sora was sure Even had never expected a reply either, but that was back when it was still nice to hope. Now it was just painful.

Sora reached over and hit the button to switch off the broadcast. Instead of stopping the wheels' rotation, a soft crackling noise emitted from the speakers, and Even's voice drifted out.

"If you are hearing this, please respond. My name is Even and I am one of two survivors living outside the village of Destiny Islands. Please make contact. We are—"

Sora stopped listening. All too well could he remember the panicking tones Even was fighting to keep out of his voice as he recorded this. He started searching for the off switch, or any button that would make that message stop. He didn't want to listen to this anymore.

No one was out there. No one was listening. No one was going to make contact. They were all gone, either dead or infected, which was as good as dead because they were never going to find a cure. This was it, the end of the road, the bottom line. They were alone, and it was going to stay that way.

Sora stopped fighting the frustration that had been building for years and just let go. He smacked the radio once. Even's voice wavered, but kept speaking. Sora made a fist and hit it harder a few times. When that didn't work, Sora gripped the edges and lifted the box, throwing against the wall. The machine shattered, splintering roughly in half and falling to the floor in a heap of metal, wires, and springs. Even's voice died in the heated air.

The silence fell thick and heavy.

Sora flattened his palms against the sun-warmed wood and groaned audibly. He just didn't know how much longer he could do this. He moaned again, louder this time, and dropped his forehead against the wood now. He wanted more than anything to just stop. He wanted to stop living in the fantasy that one day he and Even would find a cure. He wanted to stop hearing his friends and family and neighbors late at night, roaming around like animals. He wanted to just destroy something, to tear something down and to demolish it beyond recognition. He wanted to fall on his knees and cry. He wanted to sob long and hard and feel no shame for it. He deserved that much, right?

No. He couldn't stop. He couldn't cry. It was out of his capacity to do so. That didn't mean he had to like it. Dropping his arms at his sides and straightening, Sora left the ruined radio inside the hut and stepped back out onto the hot sand. The heat was doubled almost, and Sora immediately felt himself start to sweat. Another quick dip in the ocean sounded pretty good right then. Sora was seriously considering doing that until he looked forward.

His backpack had been moved. The top was unzipped and the contents were spread out on the ground. Sora lingered near the hut, eying the sand for tracks. This wasn't an animal's doing. That backpack had been unzipped and disemboweled with opposable thumbs and careful hands.

He found the tracks. There was only one set of prints, and it was only a pair making them. Two legs and opposable thumbs. Sora's heart lodged in his throat. It couldn't have been a human. There were no people living over here. And even if there were, those with the virus couldn't be out in broad sunlight without sustaining severe UV damage. They wouldn't have had the willpower to pilfer through his bag like that. They would have just ripped it to shreds. Something was screwy here.

Sora glanced over the trees, searching for any sign of movement, skin, or eyes. When he saw nothing, he crept forward, away from the hut, and towards his bag. Upon reaching it, he groaned in dismay. The bag was practically empty. His medical supplies were gone, his knives were gone, and one of his canteens was gone. The other was empty. One of his guns was gone, as were the two clips.

Movement out of the corner of his eye made Sora look up. He saw nothing, just the swaying branches in the light breeze near the secret cave by the waterfall. Sora squinted and caught sight of the low lying vines swishing back and forth, as though they had just been moved. Something was inside the cave, and seeing as it was the only other living thing here besides Sora as far as he could tell, he assumed it was the thing that had pillaged his bag.

Straightening slowly, Sora checked the knives he had tucked into his belt and started to walk toward the cave's entrance. He was smart enough not to stoop in and just start stumbling through the tunnel, so he kicked at the vines a few times.

"Hey." He barked, nudging the vines to and fro. "Come out if you're civilized."

There was no answer. He started to kneel down to get a better view of the inside without actually going in. He hadn't made it to his knees when a body flew out of the shadows. Sora was taken off guard as the heavy body slammed into his chest, tackling him to the ground with a throaty, unnatural screech.

Sora knew immediately that he was in trouble. He rolled hard to the right, kicking with his left leg to try and dislodge the human being from his midsection. The body clamped big hands around Sora's upper arms, pinning him to the ground and releasing hot breath in Sora's face.

The hilts of Sora's knives were digging into his back, but there was no way he could reach them like this. He tried not to look into the human's face, tried not to let his memory go into overdrive to recognize who was trying to kill him, but he couldn't do it. He locked eyes with his former friend Wakka and cried out as a knee was pushed into his ribs to hold him down.

Sora rolled hard again, bodily shoving Wakka off of him. Wakka kept a firm hold on Sora's arms, dragging him over with him so they both toppled into the shallow pond beside the cave. Sora scrambled to his knees quickly, drawing a knife in both hands.

Could he really do this? Could he fight Wakka like this? The Wakka he knew was long gone, but Sora didn't think he could bear to actually hurt him. Wakka felt no such reservation. He launched forward in the water to tackle Sora again. He was breathing heavily and with a raspy, strained tone. His skin was hot and fevered, but this didn't affect his strength in the least. Sora found himself overpowered by the sheer wildness Wakka possessed.

All Sora could do was fight to get to the beach. Outside the shadows, Wakka would be forced to retreat or otherwise endure a lot of pain under the sun's rays. Even that was a pipe dream as Sora could barely move under Wakka's weight. His head was smashed against the rocky wall of the pond and little spots danced through his vision.

Finally, out of instinct alone, he swung his knife around and felt it hit flesh. Wakka screamed out in that same, high pitched wail as before and fell back, blood blossoming over a shallow cut into his shoulder. Sora scrambled backwards out of the pond while Wakka was distracted and took three steps before Wakka grabbed him around the knees, taking him down to the dirt again.

Before Sora could fall victim to another row of attacks, a loud, thundering roar rippled through the air. Wakka screeched and fell back, releasing Sora and fleeing. Sora rolled onto his back and pushed himself quickly to his feet, watching Wakka escape into the darkness of the jungle. Panting heavily, Sora tentatively lifted a hand to the base of his neck and then looked at his fingers. No blood, just a bump.

Reality set in. That thundering sound had been a gun report. Sora whirled on his heels, staggering out into the hot sunlight and scouring the trees, the shore, the pier, the beach, any sign of a shooter. He turned towards the hut and stopped. A girl around his age was squatting on the roof, holding one of his guns trained on Sora's chest.

Sora's mouth fell open as he realized that she was sitting in broad daylight, with no apparent fear of the sun. He recognized his canteen hanging around her neck and his gun in her hands.

"You're not infected." He stammered, unable to grasp what he was seeing.

Her response was to pull back the hammer of the gun until it clicked.


	5. Faces Among the Monsters

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or storyline. This story is mine. Kind reviews are always appreciated!**

**..:--X--:..**

**Chapter Five: Faces Among the Monsters**

The only thing remarkable about the girl was that she wasn't infected. Sora hadn't met another immune human besides Even in almost three years. She was also the first person to train a gun at his heart too.

Sora lifted his hands slowly, non-threateningly. The last thing he wanted was to get in a fight with one of the three survivors of the virus. "Easy." He breathed.

The young woman remained where she was; her blue eyes squinted against the sun and narrowed in suspicion. She was dressed in what remained of a pair of shorts and a dark sleeveless shirt. Her movements and image mimicked that of the infected: dirty, unkempt appearance, stringy dark hair tied back in a knot on her head. She made no visible movements besides the minor shifting of her legs on the roof of the hut.

"Let's just take it easy now." Sora breathed again, gazing from the woman to the gun and back.

"Who are you?" The woman snapped. Her voice was raspy and hoarse, as though she hadn't spoken in a long time.

"I'm one of the survivors—"

"One of them? How many are there?" She cut in.

"Just me and another man, a scientist. Who are you?"

The woman paused, eying him suspiciously. Slowly, she eased out of her squatted position, sitting on the edge of the hut, though she kept the gun leveled at Sora.

"I'm also a survivor."

Sora allowed himself a gentle grin, "I can see that."

She tilted her head at him, "How?"

"Well—you're not all—crazy and wild—"

"No, no." She waved her free hand. "How are you immune?"

Sora opened his mouth, thought for a moment, and hummed, "I'm not sure. Even, the other survivor, and I can't figure out why we're immune to the virus. Um…You're not going to shoot me, are you?"

The girl made an indignant noise, "You're the first person I've met since the outbreak wiped everyone out. Why would I kill you?"

Sora released a nervous chuckle, "Then…can we not wave the gun around?"

The girl paused, looked at the gun in her hands, and lowered it. "Fine."

Rustling in the jungle made them both turn to face the trees. The girl pointed the gun into the air and fired a warning shot. As the report thundered through Sora's ears, the creature rustling beyond the treeline screeched and moved deeper into the jungle.

"Riku." The girl grunted, her voice rasped with an undertone of anguish.

Sora looked at her so fast his neck cracked, "What?"

The girl hopped down from the hut, tucking the gun into her waistband and scanning the trees with her eyes. "That was Riku, a boy who used to live on the main island—"

"I knew him." Sora said, barely above a whisper. He looked towards the trees, "How do you know that was him?"

"There's a hive located in that cave." She pointed. "Riku sort of serves as the alpha male of the main hive on this island. He's more aggressive than the others. Wakka probably taddled to him about running into you or running into me."

"You know Wakka?" Sora asked, looking at her again.

He certainly didn't recognize this girl. She was of a medium height with sun darkened skin. Her eyes were a jaded blue color and her mouth was a straight line, neither smiling nor frowning. There was a scar crossing from her left eyebrow to the hairline above her right eye. Her arms and legs were strong, with slender muscles sliding under the skin. She had obviously been living on her own for a while.

"I knew him before…all this mess." She threw an arm around and turned to face the ocean, "Was Even the same one who composed that broadcast message?"

"Yes." Sora answered tersely. "Who are you?"

"I'm a survivor—"

"Yeah, yeah, we got through that part already." He waved her off, "I mean, do you have a name?"

She blinked, looking at him slowly. "No one's asked me what my name is in a while." She looked as though she had to think to remember. She faced Sora again, "I'm Kairi."

Sora's stomach dropped to his knees at the same time his heart jumped into his throat. "What?"

"My name's Kairi. Well it was…I guess it still is." She shrugged.

Sora jumped, grabbing her by the shoulders and turning her to face him.

"Ah, hey! What are you staring at, you stupid—"

Sora ignored her, holding her still and staring into her eyes. She was almost completely unrecognizable! Her hair was even darker than he remembered, her eyes no longer sparkled, and several scars lined her hands, in addition to the one on her forehead. Her skin was too dark and her arms under his fingers were too firm, too strong. This wasn't the same Kairi he'd known.

She watched him stare at her like he was nuts. When his grip faltered, she wriggled out of his hands and took several steps back, "What's your problem? Who are you?"

Sora struggled to find his voice, "K-Kairi, it's me."

She drew her head back from him, watching him with her head turned slightly away, bewildered.

Sora held his hands out, "It's me. It's Sora. Kairi, it's me."

Kairi's eyes widened and color began to drain from her face, "No you're not."

Sora knew he had to look as different to her as she did to him. "Yes I am! Look at me!"

Kairi glanced from his incredulous face, to his bare chest, to his spiky hair, and finally to his eyes. "Sora?" She stammered, leaning forward despite herself.

Sora nodded vehemently, unable to even think properly while looking at her. Kairi was alive! She was here, she was immune, she was alive. She was here! He did the only thing that seemed appropriate. He reached out and grabbed her up in his arms, pulling her close. Kairi went rigid, stiffening uncomfortably in his embrace. Sora pressed her to him, disbelief crashing over him in waves. She was real. He could feel her skin and her hair. She was breathing and standing and alive!

Soon, Kairi relaxed, comprehension fully dawning on her. She lifted her arms and locked them around his back, holding him like he was holding her…for dear life. "I was sure you were dead." She murmured, her voice muffled by her face pressed against his shoulder.

Sora pulled her away from him, studying her intensely, as if afraid she would disappear if he blinked. "This is unbelievable." He gaped.

"I know!" Hot tears were welling in her eyes, but they didn't break down her cheeks.

"How? How have you been living here?"

"How long have you been over there?"

"What about the evacuation boats?"

"How are you not infected?"

"How are YOU not infected?"

"I don't know!"

Sora ran his hands through his hair, staggering around as though he were drugged. Maybe he was drugged. Being in the presence of another person was his drug. He threw his hands down to his sides. "Are you—"

"The only one." She finished.

Sora bit his lip, looking towards the jungle. So Riku was the leader of the infected people?

Kairi followed his gaze and her liveliness sombered, "You have no idea how hard it's been…living around them for so long."

Sora swallowed hard, "Actually, I think I do." He looked back at her sharply, "Come back with me to the main island. We've got a house and supplies and protection. Meet Even. Oh, Even's gonna wet himself when he sees you!"

Kairi didn't need much persuading, "All right."

Sora jogged over to his backpack, stuffing everything back inside and haphazardly pulling his shirt back on before throwing the bag into the rowboat. Kairi came down the beach to meet him at the boat, looking impatient and anxious to leave.

"Do you need to take anything?" Sora asked.

Kairi gave him a flat look, "What in the world would I need to take? I've been living off mushrooms and fish."

Together they maneuvered the boat off the coast and into the shallows before climbing in. Sora took over rowing, and nearly ripped his arms out of joint in his hurry to get back to the main island. Kairi sat in front of him. She wasn't watching the ocean or the sky or the clouds or the islands around them. She only stared straight at Sora, disbelieving and uncomprehending. Sora stared back, a lopsided grin plastered to his face like an idiot.

The trip back to the main island seemed to take forever, but neither of them spoke. There were no words. Anything Sora could think of saying only came out in a garbled mess. He seemed to have forgotten how to use his jaw. Kairi was just despondent with shock and realization, trying to wrap her mind around the idea of not being alone anymore.

When they finally reached the shallows and waded up to the pier, Sora barely remembered to tie his boat to the dock before they climbed out. He slung his bag over his shoulder and snatched Kairi's wrist up in his other hand. Warm skin and a returned grip were things Sora would never take for granted again.

They moved at a jogging pace through the jungle, walking briskly and occasionally breaking into a run. There was so much to catch up on! It wasn't like Kairi had been gone on vacation for a week. She had been missing, gone from Sora's life for three YEARS.

Even's house across the meadow made Kairi gasp. It wasn't much, but considering she'd lived in lean-to's and flats in the trees for years, the house was a palace. She soon passed Sora, dragging him after her by the wrist in her hurry to reach the building. Sora had to pick up his pace to take the lead again, guiding her around to the back entrance.

He fumbled with the door and managed to finally push it open. The door swung wide and smacked into the wall inside.

"Skywalker, is that you?" Even called out from the lab.

Sora looked back at Kairi, who was craning her neck to peer over his shoulder.

"Yeah—and I have a friend." Sora responded.

Even chuckled, "Good, because that warthog was a little too tough for me." He walked out of the lab and into the hallway, spotting Kairi. His eyes ballooned to the size of lollipops and the clipboard in his hands toppled to the floor with a clatter.

"Who—"

"This is Even, number two survivor of Destiny Islands." Sora introduced for Kairi.

"She's…immune." Even stammered.

Kairi shouldered past Sora, offering her hand to the bewildered man, "I'm also Kairi. It's nice to meet another civilized human being."


End file.
